


Primeval

by obitohno



Category: Naruto
Genre: Action & Romance, Action/Adventure, Alpha Hatake Kakashi, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha/Omega, Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Alternate Universe - Werewolves Are Known, Angst, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst and Romance, Animal Instincts, Dom/sub, Drama & Romance, Drunken Kissing, Eventual Smut, Explicit Language, F/M, Fairy Tale Curses, Fairy Tale Elements, Fairy Tale Retellings, Falling In Love, Fantasy, First Love, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Full Shift Werewolves, Gay Sex, Haruno Sakura is So Done, Human/Monster Romance, Love Confessions, Lycans, M/M, Mating, Mating Bites, Mating Bond, Mating Rituals, Multi, Neck Kissing, Non-Traditional Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Oral Sex, Public Sex, Romance, Rough Sex, Sexual Content, Sexual Tension, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Smut, Soulmates, Stalking, Strangers to Lovers, Top Hatake Kakashi, True Mates, Werewolf Mates, Werewolf Sex, Werewolves, Wolf Instincts, Wolf Pack
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-18
Updated: 2020-02-19
Packaged: 2021-02-27 19:13:49
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,538
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22780804
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/obitohno/pseuds/obitohno
Summary: Sakura has never believed in fairy-tales. They are just tales, as the name states, invented to educate children about the dangers of the world outside the homes of which they are raised. Besides, werewolves don’t actually exist… right?
Relationships: Haruno Sakura/Hatake Kakashi, Sai/Yamanaka Ino, Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto
Comments: 57
Kudos: 203





	1. one

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- i do not own any of Naruto.  
> \- hello! if any of you recognise my account, i apologise in advance. i know that i already have two other stories on the go, but i honestly couldn't resist writing another kakashi/sakura. it's also been a while since i last wrote a lycan/werewolf fic (the last time was when i still used wattpad), but i've been wanting to write another for a while now, so here we are! i hope that you enjoy reading; please let me know what you think!

It’s the middle of summer and the first scent Sakura inhales upon entering Konoha is one of freshly cut grass mixed in with the heat in the air. It’s almost stifling in the back of the car, the pinkette cramped between two large suitcases, despite all four windows rolled down. Up front, her father hums along to a song on the radio, fingers tapping against the steering wheel as he guides the car towards their new home.

Sakura scowls down at her feet, clad in a pair of weather-appropriate sandals, toenails freshly painted just the night before.

The move - despite Sakura understanding its importance - isn’t at all what she’d expected when Kizashi had sat her down and spilled the news just six months before. She understands that her father’s job is important to him, and being promoted to head surgeon in one of the country’s top hospitals is an achievement that Sakura can appreciate. However, his success meant changes. Moving six hours away from her childhood hometown is the one that upsets her the most, she thinks. Her friends, family, all left behind. Not to mention that she now has to complete her final year of studies in a place she’s never even heard of.

But whilst Kizashi is the one whom has remained optimistic throughout their moving journey, despite being shut in a small car for over six hours, Mebuki seems to share her daughter’s doubts about moving towns. Sakura had listened their arguments during the weeks that followed Kizashi’s promotion, but eventually, his wife had caved and eventually agreed to the move. But that doesn’t mean Mebuki is as enthusiastic about the move as her husband is, Sakura concludes, glancing up to see her mother glaring out of the window.

It’s much smaller than Sakura had expected. Surrounded by woods that appear to expand for miles upon miles, the town is enclosed in the middle, almost hidden out of view. If it weren’t for the sat-nav, Sakura is sure that they’d have easily missed the entrance, the signpost having been barely visible through an overgrown bush. A few people curiously peer at their car as it rattles its way down the street, the rear end strained under the weight of the remainder of their belongings that Kizashi had rammed into the boot earlier that morning.

It’s a little after three pm when they finally pull into their new driveway.

The house itself looks larger than their previous home, Sakura notes as she scrambles out of the vehicle when Kizashi finally moves the suitcases out of her way. A waft of thick heat smacks her in the face and Sakura grimaces, stretching her aching legs. Even clad in just a pair of denim shorts and a cropped tank top, the warmth clings to her skin in a way that makes her feel sticky and grimy at the same time. A trickle of sweat rolls down the curve of her cheek and she huffs, swiping it away with the back of her hand.

Helping her parents lug their belongings into the house is easy enough. Most of their furniture had been shipped over just a week ago, already placed into their respective rooms. Sakura’s bedroom is located at the back of the house, the window facing out towards the large garden. It appears that their home is situated at the edge of the town - just a small fence separating their garden from the onslaught of forestation that surrounds them. It’s almost an eery sight, Sakura thinks as she steps out into the garden after hauling her suitcase up the stairs and into her room.

The trees provide a form of shading, the garden slightly cooler, much to her relief. Leaning against the wall, she closes her eyes, basking in the cooler air that shadows provide. She exhales, head tilting at the sound of the back door opening. Kizashi throws a heavy arm over his daughter’s shoulder, ignoring her soft grunt of surprise.

‘What do you think?’

Sakura’s eyes peel open and she sees the happy grin on her father’s face. The hope is evident in glistening blue eyes and Sakura would have to be blind to not see his unconcealed excitement. It crushes all protests that sit on the tip of her tongue, and she swallows, head turning to look out to the bottom of the garden. Gaze fixated to a young maple tree, Sakura shrugs, arms crossed over her chest.

‘It’s nice,’ her reply is honest. She is yet to come around to his idea of moving homes, but she can appreciate the scenery. Even under the shade of a large berry tree, the sun gleams down upon the garden, and the scent of grass is almost potent in the air. She deems herself lucky to have missed out on the pollen allergy that seems to run in her family, her father’s head ducking as he suppresses a sneeze into the crook of his elbow. But despite his now reddened nose, Kizashi’s grin widens and Sakura forces one of her own.

Kizashi squeezes her shoulder before removing his arm, seemingly suffering due to the heat. It’s late-afternoon, yet the sun is still high up in the sky. Both father and daughter appear bewildered, Kizashi voicing his distaste.

‘Your mother and I are going for a walk into town,’ he wipes a trickle of sweat from his brow, ‘we need to get food--and we also need to invest in a couple of electronic fans. Do you want to come with?’

Sakura reluctantly agrees. She’s still exhausted from the car journey, and the heat definitely isn’t helping with her mood. However, she knows it’s way too warm for her to take a nap, and if even if she could, it’s already almost evening. Deciding that she’d wait a few more hours to sleep, Sakura thinks it's best to learn the map of the town for herself, and she explains this to Kizashi, who agrees.

‘There’s still a couple of months until you start class,’ he reminds her. Sakura hides her scowl, kicking at a raised mound in the mud. ‘But it’s best you learn the neighbourhood in the meantime. Maybe you can make some new friends before you start?’

‘Maybe,’ Sakura repeats, not bothering to voice her doubts.

‘C’mon, we better make a move if we want to make it back before dark.’ Kizashi straightens up, already turning towards the back door. But just as he’s tugging it open, there’s a rustling that comes from the bottom of the garden that makes them both freeze. Sakura stares at the trees as if awaiting someone to pop out, her heart thumping its way down her eardrums. There’s a sudden gust of wind that spikes through the warm air, blowing her hair back from her face, and Sakura grimaces as it cools the thin sheet of sweat on the back of her neck. Kizashi chuckles, breaking the silence, ‘it’s probably just an animal. We _do_ live near the woods.’

He enters the house, but Sakura remains rooted to her spot by the wall. She can’t put her finger on it, but something tells her that her father is wrong. Her eyes strain as she peers into the threads of birch trees that spread out far past she can see. The wind passes and she’s enveloped in silence, dazed as she stares out into the thickened tree-line. The longer she stands there, the more she feels urged to close the gap between herself and the fencing, but just as she takes a step forward, the spell is broken by the sound of her mother shouting her name.

Blinking, Sakura frowns down at her feet. Sighing, she runs a hand through her sweat-stained hair before making her way back inside the house, kicking the door shut behind her. She meets her mother in the kitchen. ‘I’m just going to get changed and then I’ll be ready,’ Mebuki tells her. Following her mother up the stairs, Sakura states that she’ll do the same, deciding to shower once they return from their walk.

She changes into a dress this time, her skin immediately thankful for the lighter fabric, less suffocated as she shoves her suitcase to the side. She’ll unpack tomorrow, she promises herself, tying her hair up into a ponytail. She glances in the mirror as she does so; her hair has grown a lot longer in the past few months, but with the unrelenting heat, she thinks it’ll soon be time for a haircut. She’s just expelling a spritz of deodorant when something moves in the garden, catching her attention. She turns in time to see a shadow moving through the trees, just visible among the trees. Heart in her throat, Sakura calls for Kizashi, who enters her room just as the shadow disappears from view, merging between the birch trees.

‘What’s wrong?’ Kizashi frowns, following Sakura’s finger as she points. ‘I told you, it’s probably just an animal.’ He ruffles her hair, but Sakura isn’t paying enough attention to scold him for ruining her ponytail. Kizashi places a hand on her shoulder, ‘Sakura. You’re tired, we all are. Your mind is probably just playing tricks on you. There’s going to be all sorts of creatures hiding out there. I’ve heard there’s even wolves out there.’

Sakura disagrees. Whatever that shadow was, Sakura knows it wasn’t just a trick of the eye. Something was stood right there in the garden with her, just a few yards apart. She doubts it’s a wolf, something she has no qualms of arguing with her father about as she re-ties her ponytail.

‘It could be, you never know,’ Kizashi laughs, poking her ribs before leading the way down the stairs.

‘It wasn’t a wolf,’ Sakura argues. ‘And if it was, why aren’t you more concerned? They could be dangerous.’

Kizashi laughs again, grabbing his keys from the kitchen counter. Mebuki raises an eyebrow at their bickering but doesn’t join in as she slings her purse over her shoulder, husband and daughter following her out of the house. Kizashi loiters as his wife locks the door, before the trio begin their walk into town. ‘If there are wolves nearby, they’re probably domesticated to some degree, Sakura. I doubt they’d do actual harm to people.’

Sakura gawks at her father, incredulous, ‘they’re _wild_ animals--of course they’d harm people!’

Kizashi’s smile is unwavering, ‘I bet you a twenty you see a wolf by the end of the month _and_ it won’t harm you.’

Mebuki slaps his shoulder at this, ‘don’t say things like that!’

‘What? It could-’

‘I don’t want her _frolicking_ with wolves,’ Mebuki glares.

Kizashi rubs the sore spot on his shoulder, grumbling something about the women in the family being superstitious. Mebuki argues that being cautious about wild animals isn’t a superstition, and Sakura trails behind her parents, barely listening to their bickering. The conversation continues all the way until they reach the middle of the town. By now, they’ve received a few too many curious glances than Sakura is comfortable with, ensuring that she’s never more than half a step behind Kizashi as the family weave their way down the street to do their shopping.

It’s when they’re exiting an electronics store, Kizashi insisting on carrying the fans home rather than having them delivered--despite the cashier’s wasted protests--and Sakura inhales the scent of freshly cut grass once more. This time, it seems much thicker, and she fights back the urge to gag, barely forcing down a sneeze that threatens to escape. Frowning, she interrupts her parents’ conversation to ask her mother, ‘do you have any of Dad’s anti-histamines?’

Fishing into her purse as they walk, Mebuki’s brows furrow as she presses a tablet, along with a water bottle, into Sakura’s outstretched hands. ‘You feeling alright? You’ve never suffered from hay-fever.’ Even Kizashi is frowning, hoisting the bag up onto his shoulder.

‘I don’t,’ Sakura looks at her mother pointedly, quickly swallowing down the tablet before dropping the water bottle into Mebuki’s purse. She sniffs, her eyes watering slightly, ‘can’t you smell that?’

‘Smell what?’ Mebuki questions, but she’s not really paying attention, already walking into another building--a butcher’s, Sakura notices. Nose crinkling, she decides to wait outside, her stomach already churning at the sight of the bloodied pig’s carcass hanging up in the front window. Kizashi accompanies his wife into the small shop, leaving Sakura to lean against the wall as she waits. The urge to sneeze returns, stronger this time, just as the scent suddenly hits her full force.

This time, she does sneeze, only just ducking her head in time to avoid contaminating a passing woman pushing a pram in front of her. Sniffing loudly, Sakura swipes the tears free from the corner of her eyes, groaning as she tilts her head upwards. She pinches the bridge of her nose to stop herself from sneezing again, but her efforts are wasted, and soon, she’s sneezing not once, but three times, one after the other. Groaning, she presses her thumb against the ache that’s forming between her brows. The heat seems to have increased by a tenfold, but there’s nothing she can do about it, exhaling with relief at the sight of her mother rushing out go the shop, towards her.

‘Sakura!’

Wide eyed, Sakura blinks through heavily lidded eyes, watching Mebuki scramble to rip a packet of tissues from her handbag, shoving one under Sakura’s nostrils. ‘W-What are you-?’

‘You’re bleeding!’ Mebuki frets, leaning closer to assess Sakura’s nose. ‘What did you do?’

‘I just sneezed,’ Sakura bites out at the accusation, taking over her mother’s ministrations. She all but shoves the tissue up her nostrils. ‘I think it’s the temperature,’ her voice sounds nasally, even to her own ears, and she doesn’t miss Kizashi’s wince as he inspects her face.

‘We should go home,’ he comments, ‘you don’t look so well.’

Sakura wipes at her nose, asking Mebuki to check that her face is now clean of any blood. ‘I feel fine. It’s just the warmth.’ She ignores the throbbing in her temples, forcing a smile as she crosses the path to approach the bin by the road. Discarding of the ruined tissues, she massages her temple with her index finger, the ache suddenly searing, white hot pain flashing behind her eyes. Looking up, her gaze meets with a pair of dark eyes that bore right through hers. She doesn’t get a good look at the owner, but the scent of freshly cut grass invades her nostrils once more, so strong she whimpers, sweating gathering upon her brow. The same uneasy feeling she felt in the garden has returned and her vision swims, eyelids closing without her control.

Someone calls her name, but before she can look, her sight is blackened to nothing.

๑

He hadn’t expected a female human to enter his territory. Much less two of them.

The male, he’d been aware of. Obito had mentioned something about a transfer at the hospital a few weeks ago, the best Konoha can get. The Uchiha may have told him about the male’s familial situation, but if Kakashi is to be completely honest, he hadn’t really been paying attention.

It’s not as if humans don’t already reside in the town - most that live there are descendants of the founding families of Konoha. And whilst the beasts are allowed to walk the streets as if they were their own, it is the woods where they thrive. For centuries, for those whom want to live docile lives such as the humans do, are permitted to do so, in exchange for the protection provided by the beasts who have millenniums of strength build in their very bones. However, it is no secret that majority of the beasts share the opinion that humans are the weaker species, Kakashi included. Majority of the beasts remain on the pack territory, situated just a mere hundred miles from the townscape. Not far enough apart, some still argue.

But for Kakashi, it is close enough to keep an eye upon on the town’s human leaders; to ensure that there won’t be another revolt. There hasn’t been one since his tenth year on this earth and he’ll be damned if he lives to see another. The relationship between man and beast is strenuous enough, but as the king of the forests, Kakashi will not hesitate to punish those who dare to disrupt the peace his father fought many years to create.

And so when word gets out that the human doctor had finally arrived in town, it is Kakashi’s responsibility to greet him. To his knowledge, the male is aware of the beasts that prowl in the darkness--something which Kakashi is to be glad of when his body takes upon the familiar form of his canine in order to make a hasty journey into town. He’s met his fair share of frightened humans, weak-minded males and females who simply couldn’t _imagine_ such a species to exist. He’s had to eradicate a few of them too; the outside world is better off not knowing of the creatures of the forests.

It is indeed a hot day outside, much like both Obito and Yamato had complained earlier that morning. The heat clings to the skin of his human form in a way that makes his nose crinkle with disgust, upturned as he makes his way through the town. Many of the lycanthrope greet him with a bow of the head, Kakashi’s wolf basking in the small sign of respect. The humans do not entirely understand the loyalties of the hierarchy in the animal kingdom, but most are smart enough to veer out of his path as he comes to a halt across the road from Konoha’s only butcher-shop.

He stands with his hands stuffed into the pockets of his slacks, eyes sweeping across the street for the face he’s memorised from the file that’s now stuffed in the bottom drawer of his desk. His nose shifts through the different scents intermingling through the warm air, searching for one that he doesn’t recognise. For a few moments, he senses nothing. But then it hits him.

It’s her that he scents first.

All sweet, like pollen on a fresh spring day, pink hair standing out amongst the crowd of humans that bustle along the pathway. Her scent clouds him, the heat of the sun suddenly overbearing as he stares across the road. But there’s something wrong, he knows as soon as his heart-rate spikes, pulsing so loudly in his eardrums that he almost doesn’t hear her speak.

‘Can’t you smell that?’

His wolf practically _purrs_ at the sound of her voice, gently spoken with the tiniest hint of confusion. Kakashi has to grip the lamppost beside him to keep himself from shedding his human skin, his jaw clenched so tightly that he wouldn’t be surprised if it snapped. And when he realises she also senses him, he exhales, breath uncharacteristically uneven as he struggles to rein in the beast that itches to escape.

He’s no fool. For thousands of years, pups are taught what to expect when one meets the mate that is chosen for them from the day they are born. It’s been engrained into their very history from the first findings of their species. The humans call them _soulmates_.

Human and wolf pairings are not unheard of. But they are rare. Kakashi cannot even recall the last pairing recorded--long before his time, anyway. And whilst they were taught that humans will have some form of reaction to being mated, their instincts have been bred out of them over thousands of years of evolution. She will never feel the bond as he does, or at least, that’s what has been assumed for hundreds of years.

And when the first drop of blood spills from her pretty little nose, his throat burns as he suppresses the growl that almost escapes from the centre of his chest. He almost lunges across the road, towards her, his instincts screaming to claim her right there and then, in the middle of the street. But Kakashi likes to think that he has more self control than that, his fists clenching by his sides. His pulse increases in pace when large jade eyes meet his, wide and glossy.

But as soon as she is rendered unconscious, all rationality is thrown out of the window as he’s across the street before he can stop himself, moving faster than humans can blink.

The older woman, her mother, he assumes, shrieks with surprise as he catches her limp body before she can hit the ground.

‘Sakura!’

Kakashi stares down at her, trying his best to ignore the beast that continues to purr in contentedness at her skin pressed flush against his. Several people have stopped to watch, most wolves, much to Kakashi’s annoyance. This will be talk of the pack before he even reaches home, he’s sure. But that’s the last of his worries, the older woman attempting to shake her daughter awake.

Kakashi’s wolf snarls before he can stop it, and he blinks, surprised by his own loss of control. There is a murmuring in the crowd, and he sighs, knowing the action has not gone unnoticed. The human woman stares at him, her surprise morphing into anger.

‘I can take her,’ she spits, her hand curling around her daughter’s limp hand.

‘Mebuki,’ the man says and when Kakashi looks up, he immediately recognises his face. The doctor. And it appears the doctor knows exactly who Kakashi is too. Sparing him a nod in greeting, along with a smile that resembles more of a grimace, the blue eyed man turns to his wife, ‘she’s in safe hands.’

Even Kakashi is taken aback by this.

Mebuki, the mother, looks murderous as her head whips to glare at her husband, ‘we don’t even know--’

‘I own this town,’ Kakashi speaks for the first time. He winces at the grate in his voice, forcing down the beast that scratches at the surface. Despite being unconscious, the pinkette stirs at the sound of his voice and Kakashi’s gaze snaps back down towards her, adjusting her in his arms. ‘If you’d allow me,’ he pauses to swallow, tearing his eyes from her face to her mother’s, ‘I’d like to return her to your home. It’s the least I can do. It’s my fault she fainted.’

The human female is evidently confused, protest on the tip her tongue, but all colour in the male’s face drainsas the weight of Kakashi’s words settle. ‘Mebuki,’ he suddenly hoists his wife to her feet by her arm. ‘We should do as he says. He _owns_ this town.’

Mebuki wrenches her arm from his grasp, not paying attention as Kakashi shifts his grip, hoisting the girl into his arms properly before standing. He easily towers over both of her parents, but to his surprise, this doesn’t intimidate the smaller woman. She stands still, glaring up at him as the male whispers an excuse in her ear - something about not getting him fired before he’s even started his job. But it seems the heat is irritating her just as much as it is him, and so she reluctantly agrees to allow him to carry her daughter home.

Out of sight of leering gazes, the walk is filled with a quietly uttered welcoming. Kakashi tells the male to meet him the following Monday morning for a formal meeting before he starts his work. ‘Your care is as important to our kind as it is yours,’ he tells him, eyes glancing towards the female who is yet to calm her anger.

Halfway home, the girl stirs in her sleep once more, her face pressing against his chest. She’s so much smaller than him, despite the leanness in her limbs. Her scent envelops him in a way that he’s sure he’ll never forget her, and Kakashi has to bite his bottom lip to muffle the low growl that rumbles its way down his throat, expanding across his chest. The sound, however, calms her enough to make her still once more and Kakashi has to struggle with his beast. The sight of the expanse of her pale neck almost rails him out off control and he pants through his nostrils, grunting as he feels the familiar aching of his canines breaking past gum. By the time they reach their home at the edge of town, Kakashi’s body is trembling, sweat heavily built upon his brow.

He’s permitted to gently place her on her bed, before he swiftly leaves the room to escape her mother’s overprotective stance.

By the front door, the male human escorts him out of the house. His beast immediately expresses its discomfort, itching at the surface in order to switch control.

‘It’s an honour to finally meet you--’ the man begins to gush, but the sight of a disheveled Kakashi advancing upon him forces his mouth shut, eyes wide.

‘She’s _mine_.’

Kakashi seethes, beast just inches from the surface of his skin. His stomach churns and it takes all he has to swallow down the bile that threatens to escape the confides of his throat. He towers over the male, who shrinks back, beast purring at the sight of his submission.

Kakashi forcibly inhales deeply, eyes closing. When they open, he’s not at all surprised to recognise the terror on the smaller male’s face. ‘I _will_ have her,’ Kakashi growls out his promise, but he’s not entirely sure if it’s even him whom is speaking. ‘I will not have your approval--nor your mate’s--it means nothing to me,’ he spits, smiling bitterly. ‘You have until Monday to tell them of our kind. Not a day later.’ The human male has no choice but to agree, frantically nodding, blinking up at him, seemingly disorientated. Whether he even recognises the unspoken threat that loiters in the air--thickened by the human male's unconcealed fear--is a matter to be dealt with come Monday morning.

Kakashi leaves then, coated in a layer of sweat that heats him in such a way that it blows his pupils. The little control he has remains in place, just until he breaks into someone’s garden, marching across the recently mown lawn. He barely makes it to the trees before his resolve uncoils, snapping its way down his arching spine as he hunches over, winded. His form morphs, familiar with the sound of breaking bones, the shredding of old skin that is replaced with a thick coat of silver fur, two legs becoming four, a whip-like tail standing proudly as he prowls deeper into the trees.

This form is welcomed with a ripple of excitement as he allows the beast to take over, scenting the air. He doesn’t venture far until his nose tracks the smell of sweetened pollen, just a few yards from where his clothes are strewn across the floor. He inhales the scent through his mouth, tastes it on his tongue, swallowing it down and allows it to settle into the pit of his stomach. 

_Mine_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- thank you so much for reading, i hope you enjoyed!!  
> \- please show support by leaving a kudos or even a comment; i'd love to hear what you think.  
> 


	2. two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- i do not own any of Naruto.  
> \- from this chapter onwards, the story will become darker as it progresses, just to warn those who are reading. i'm especially having fun creating a 'darker' version of kakashi; i hope that you enjoy reading it as much as i am writing it :')

When Sakura comes to, two days have already passed. Her mother’s face is the first she sees, the pinkette bewildered at the sight of unshed tears pooled behind the very green eyes she’d inherited from birth. 

‘Mum?’

Mebuki barely contains a muffled sob, shaking hands reaching for her daughter to embrace her in a bone-crushing hug. Sakura groans, head swimming as she reluctantly returns the gesture with an awkward pat on her mother’s shoulder.

‘What’s wrong? I only fainted-’

‘Sakura,’ Mebuki’s voice is grave, with an expression to match, as she leans back from their embrace to stare at her daughter. ‘We need to leave.’ Frown forming between her brows, Sakura moves from the bed, standing on shaky legs. With a glance, she realises she’s still wearing her dress, the fabric crinkled and matted in places. Her frown deepens, lips parting to question just how long she was asleep for, but Mebuki interrupts her, ‘Sakura. We need to leave. Now.’

Before she can even think of a reply, her mother’s fingers are curling around her wrist, pulling her towards the door. Sakura’s temples throb and she winces, a wave of vertigo hitting her just as they reach the bottom of the stairs. Her left hand flails to catch her balance on the wall, but Mebuki doesn’t wait, pushing her towards the front door. Sakura’s confusion doubles when Mebuki doesn’t even allow her time to put her shoes on. ‘Mum. What’s going on-?’

‘No time,’ Mebuki snaps, yanking the front door open and pushing her daughter out of it. Sakura stumbles, wincing as the gravel bites into the soles of her feet. ‘Get in the car, Sakura.’

Doing as her mother tells her, Sakura slumps into the passenger seat with an exhausted sigh. She’s unsure of why she feels so tired, but has no time to dwell as her mother slides into the driver’s seat, slamming the door closed. Mebuki wears an expression of panic, and whilst Sakura has so many questions to ask, they die on the tip of her tongue when the car rumbles to life. Mebuki wastes no time in reversing the vehicle out onto the road, almost colliding with a passing car, the sound of their horn cutting through the air. Wide eyed, Sakura stares at her mother, who concentrates on the road, kicking the car into drive.

They make it to the other side of town in record timing, and Sakura is sure they’ve broken just about every road law on their way. Just as they start down the long winding path that leads the way out of the town, Sakura dares to ask, ‘where’s Dad?’

The car speeds even faster and Sakura has to grip the door handle to keep her from slamming into the door as they swiftly veer off to the left. Something is definitely wrong, Sakura thinks, horribly wrong.

‘Dad—we can’t just leave--!’

Something suddenly slams into the car from behind, tyres skidding across the tarmac so roughly, the noise rings in Sakura’s ears. Her body is lurched forward, hands flying out to stop her head from colliding with the dashboard and her seatbelt groans under the strain of her weight, the fabric burning into her shoulder. Wincing, she does her best to ignore the ache in her forehead, her mother letting a sharp yell slip past her lips. It isn’t long before the car skids to a halt and Sakura trembles, their breathing mixing together in the warm air, steaming the windows from the inside. With shaking hands, Mebuki reaches for her daughter, and Sakura looks up, horrified to see the blood pooling from her mother’s temple.

‘M-Mum-!’

A low, animalistic growl echoes from the outside, the sound tracing its way down Sakura’s spine until it reaches the tips of her toes. And then, she smells it again. Freshly cut grass, only this time, it intermingles with the scent of… dog? It reeks, seeping in through the metal framework until Sakura has no choice but to inhale it. Her nose crinkles and she forces back the urge to gag.

‘Did we hit something?’ She dares to whisper, hand reaching to wipe the condensation from the window. The sight of a large shadow makes her stomach churn, her back hitting her seat as she slumps, slack-jawed. The shadow moves closer, close enough that she can just make out the shape of four legs, accompanied by a tail. ‘I-Is that-?’

Mebuki’s fingers are pressing the button on Sakura’s seatbelt. She leans over, throwing the passenger door wide open. ‘You need to run.’

Sakura’s head whips to gawk at her mother, ‘do you not _see_ that? It’s a fucking wolf!’ Tears cloud her vision, ‘Dad said… I… I should have--’

Mebuki shoves her, hard. Hard enough that Sakura loses balance, body hurtling out of the side of the car. Her left wrist takes the brunt of her weight, the impact shattering its way up the length of her arm. A shriek escapes her and her bottom lip wobbles, pain stinging her now bloodied hand. Dazed, she looks up to meet her mother’s panicked stare.

‘Run, Sakura! You have to run!’ Mebuki’s eyes are glossy, the tears staining her cheeks in a way that Sakura has never seen before. When she doesn’t immediately heed her mother’s order, Mebuki all but screams at her, ‘fucking _run_ , Sakura!’

The pinkette scrambles to her feet, body wavering as she almost trips over her feet. To her horror, the wolf is much closer, not even a few yards away. Behind her, the forest begins again, and Sakura takes another wobbly step back, debating on whether she can make it.

 _What the hell is she even thinking?_

If the wolf gives chase - which seems likely as its gaze is glued to her, completely ignoring her mother’s frantic wailing - there’s no way she’d out run it. Just the sheer size of it seems unnatural - is it even possible for wolves to grow to such a size? Even the colour of its fur seems ludicrous. The palest of silvers seems to gleam, Sakura barely blinking as she watches the animal advancing closer. The scent of freshly cut grass grows stronger with each step the wolf takes towards her, Sakura matching its pace with one step backwards. There’s another scent in the air, something she can’t quite decipher, but she doesn’t bother to question it, stumbling back with another unbalanced step.

The ache in her temples has now spread to the back of her head and she suddenly finds it a little harder to keep her eyes open.

‘Sakura,’ Mebuki calls her name again, begging. ‘Run… you have to--!’

The beast releases a growl so loud that Sakura swears she feels it vibrate beneath her bare feet. Something snaps to her left, a branch, perhaps. She doesn’t stick around to find out, her legs moving of their own accord. Faster than she’s ever moved before, she lunges towards the tree-line, barely processing her mother’s voice that echoes after her, egging her on. Her feet sink into the soil, branches whipping past her head as she weaves through the heavily crowded birch trees, the trunks stretched high above her head. The further she runs, the denser the trees become, making it increasingly difficult to move. She ducks under a particularly low hanging branch, pausing to listen.

The forest is eerily quiet, the canopy of the trees blocking out the sunlight, making it harder to see. She listens as best as she can, sucking in air between her lips, nursing her injured wrist to her chest. She bites her bottom lip in order to muffle the cry that escapes, eyes welling. Blinking rapidly, she sniffles, starting to walk, limping slightly. She doesn’t think the wolf has followed her, and if it has, there’s no way its muscled body would ever be able to follow her, the thickening tree-trunks now making it a task for even her lithe frame to slip past. She quietly prays that her mother has gotten to safety.

She doesn’t know how much time passes as she walks, but suddenly, there’s a break of light in the swarm of trees. Sakura rushes forwards, tripping over her feet just as she bursts past the last of the trees, falling as she does so. She makes the mistake of bracing her weight onto her injured wrist, unable to stop the pained shriek that ripples out into the darkening sky. It’s far too late when she slaps her uninjured hand over her mouth to swallow the sound. For a tense moment, she lies still, dirt caking her clammy skin, buried under her nails and matting the pink locks of hair that curl behind her ears.

Then she hears him.

His footsteps are slow, calculated and not at all rushed. She tries her best to stand, but realises her right foot is trapped, squeezed into a tight gap between two large birch trees. She doesn’t bother to hide her chest-wracking sobs this time, scrambling into a sitting position to try and dislodge her foot. It makes no difference, and the more she pulls, the faster the pain throbs its way up her leg, dizzying. A pained moan breathes past her lip, her skin buzzing with adrenaline.

He’s closer now, heavy footsteps almost deafening as he stalks towards her. He seems to be moving cautiously, which would have confused her had she not been focused on wrenching her foot free. But to her trepidation, the beast approaches, stepping into her line of sight, hackles slightly raised.

Frozen, Sakura tilts her head back to look at the animal towering above her. And much to both her relief and horror, it’s not _him_. Gone is the four lined with silver, this beast coated in a dark brown that almost looks black. Its eyes, as equally as dark, watch her for a moment, before taking a slow step forward. Immediately, the panic returns and Sakura begins to struggle again, this time, her ministrations more urgent, panic-driven. She cries out as her foot twists painfully and in her distress, she almost misses his body morphing before her very eyes, the sound of cracking bones making her stomach lurch. She’s only just able to swallow the bile down, glossy eyes wide as the wolf disappears, only to be replaced by the large frame of a stark-naked man.

She blinks once, twice, thrice, unsure if her eyes are deceiving her.

But then he takes a tentative step closer, and her heart lurches in her mouth.

‘G-Get away from me,’ she whispers, twisting her leg once more.

The man raises his hands, as if to prove he means her no harm. Something she’s unable to believe, especially when he just transformed from the form of a _wolf_ before her very eyes. Her father may have warned her of the wolves out here in Konoha, but Sakura wonders what his reaction will be once he hears the wolves can shape-shift into humans. The thought of her father is enough for the tears to return, her features twisting into a quiet cry as she attempts to twist her foot once more.

The man is slow to approach her, and Sakura pretends that she can’t see his penis hanging between his legs, as naked as the day he was born. ‘I can help,’ his voice is quiet but she hears him. The mere thought of this… man? Wolf… hybrid? Whatever he is…. the thought of him touching her makes her shiver and she looks at her leg, defeated. There’s only one option she has left in an attempt to escape, and just imagining it makes her grimace. But she has no choice. The man seems to guess her next move and with surprising speed, he’s rushing towards her, shouting, ‘no! Don’t!’

But it’s too late.

Gritting her teeth, Sakura uses all of her weight to twist her leg as far as it will go, before the tibia bone suddenly gives way under the pressure. The _snap!_ rings down her eardrums, followed by a choked scream of pain. Blood rushes behind her eyes as she somehow manages to wrench her foot free, but that’s as far as she can move. The pain dances across her skin, and as she tries to stand, she collapses, whimpering.

The naked man is by her side, his hands reaching for her. Sakura doesn’t even have the energy to move out of his grasp. He lifts her easily and she babbles unintelligently, head lolling over his forearm. Black clouds her sight and her entire leg now feels numb, her body barely able to process the pain that throbs underneath the surface of her skin.

‘Fuck,’ she just manages to hear the man curse, eyelids heavy as she tries to blink up at him. Her injured hand hangs limp, dangling in the air as he begins to trek away from the shadows of the trees. She attempts to tell him to leave her behind, to remove his strangely _human_ hands from her body. But her tongue is heavy in her mouth and whatever she plans to say is rendered useless as she slips in and out of consciousness for the remainder of their journey.

When she comes to for the fifth time, a light is shone directly into her left pupil, and she groans, eyelid snapping to shut out the intrusion. Someone gently shakes her shoulder, but when she tries to blink her eyes open, her sight is blurred. Blinking her pupils back into focus, she realises she’s now indoors, lying on her back, head tilted up towards the ceiling. The first face she sees is the man who carried her from the trees. She instinctively flinches at the sight of the scar that expands over the right side of his face, her eyes peering at him curiously. His lips seem to be curved into a slight smile, and although he now appears to be clothed, the memory of his transformation makes her wince.

She attempts to sit, bracing her weight on her uninjured hand. Her left wrist is bandaged, the fabric wrapped neatly to secure the injury in place. She doesn’t dare to look at the damage of her leg, an ache pounding across her forehead as she successfully pulls herself into an upright position.

‘Be careful,’ the dark haired man coaxes, his expression one of sympathy. His words gain the attention of the other person in the room, one Sakura hadn’t even noticed. He’s a white haired man who stands to her right, torch in hand. He grins down at her, toothily and welcoming. One of his canines seems to protrude a little longer than the rest of his teeth and Sakura gawks at it. And are his eyes… _purple_?

His grin broadens and she flinches back. ‘Humans,’ he tuts, but he’s still grinning, ‘so jumpy.’

Sakura grimaces, tearing her gaze from him, back to the brown haired man to her left. He’s still watching her, his expression unreadable now. ‘Don’t worry,’ he assures her of worries she’s not even sure she can comprehend. ‘Everything will be--’

The door flies open so wildly that it ricochets back off the wall behind it. Sakura has to bite the inside of her cheek to stop herself from yelping out in surprise. Jade eyes flicker to the doorway, along with the two men in the room, the trio peering at the man who enters the room. Sakura stares. It’s hard not to. Especially when the first thing she notices of him is the wild mass of _silver_ hair that sits atop his head. She trembles when he steps inside the room, all but slamming the door shut behind him.

‘So jumpy,’ the white haired man repeats, chuckling.

Sakura sits frozen on the tabletop she’d been placed on, watching the unnaturally tall man stare down at her with a scowl that makes the bottom of her stomach churn with nerves. She swallows, the room silent as no-one dares to speak. She has so many questions, most of which she’d never thought she’d ever have to ask. But her tongue doesn’t seem to want to work, frozen stiff in the confines of her mouth. She dares to insect the silver haired man who is yet to say a word, yet to move or even blink an eyelid. Her gaze is drawn to his left eye, barely able to conceal her grimace at the sight of the gnarly scar that cuts right through his eyelid.

If he’s bothered by her stare, he doesn’t voice it, taking the time to look her up and down, dark eyes loitering on the expanse of skin that is bare to the world as her torn dress has ridden up her thighs. Sakura tries to not look so _jumpy_ as she clenches her thighs shut, her eyes sweeping over his abnormally large form. She guesses that he’s easily a foot taller than herself, his biceps strained under the neatly ironed dress-shirt he wears, crossing over his chest. She notices the beauty-mark on his chin, tries not to notice the freckles on his lips, nor the way his trousers fit perfectly around his--

Someone clears their throat and Sakura’s eyes snap away from him, her cheeks hot as she realises she was caught staring.

‘Now she’s awake, I’ll go fetch the male,’ the white-haired man announces to no-one in particular.

He crosses the room, brushing past the silver-haired man whom is yet to stop staring at Sakura. ‘What of the female?’ His voice is deeper than she expects, the sound charming its way into the centre of her abdomen.

A pair of purple eyes glance to Sakura before he answers, ‘sedated.’ And then he’s leaving, closing the door shut behind him. Sakura feels the ache dull slightly and she manages to exhale with relief, her good hand reaching to massage her temples with her index finger.

‘I can get you something for the pain,’ the dark-haired man--her _saviour_ , Sakura thinks bitterly--offers. But he seems to decide for her, already rising from his chair. However, his silver-haired companion beats him to it.

He crosses the room faster than Sakura can blink, sneering down at her before his canines elongate before her very eyes, sinking into his own wrist. Horrified, Sakura watches him leer over her, before his other hand snaps out to grab a fistful of her hair, pulling her head backwards.

Yelping at the sudden pain, Sakura realises her mistake a second too late. He presses his bloodied wrist to her mouth and her cry is muffled against his skin. With her uninjured hand, she attempts to slap him away, gagging at the taste of iron filling her mouth, coating her tongue. He doesn’t budge, his grip tightening in her hair.

‘You’re hurting her,’ the other man says, and Sakura closes her eyes so that neither of them can see the tears that bubble beneath her eyelids. She scratches at the hand that twists her hair until the roots begin to burn.

‘Fucking _drink_ ,’ he hisses into her ear, the sultry tone of his voice sounding very much electric as it shocks down her spine, her body suddenly slumping against his, weak. She immediately caves, reluctantly swallowing down the metallic liquid that’s begun to thicken inside her mouth. Her stomach lurches, but his grip tightens to prevent her from moving. The iron scent taints the air and the more she drinks, the warmer her body tingles, sweat trickling down her spine. His blood is hot on her tongue, and she shivers, his chin resting on the top of her head, her back pressed to his chest.

The door clicking shut is barely registered by either of them, but Sakura recognises that they are now alone. The ache dissipates from her forehead and she exhales from her nostrils. She moans against his wrist, swallowing, goosebumps etched across every inch of her skin. His chest rumbles against her back and she realises that he’s practically purring in her ear, the sound enticing another embarrassing moan that slips, uncontrolled, from her bloodied lips.

A few minutes pass before his blood ceases, his wrist slipping away from her face. To her utter embarrassment, she has to stifle a whine that builds upon the tip of her tongue. Her stomach now feels bloated, and it's only when she feels him releasing her hair from his grasp, does she feel the disgust.

Disgusted by him feeding her his own blood. Appalled that she’d allowed him to do it. Mortified that she actually _enjoyed_ it.

But before she can begin to feel alarmed by what just transpired, his fingers are curling under her chin, tilting her head towards him. He leans over her shoulder with ease, eyes staring down at the blood staining her lips. Up close, curiosity spikes and her index finger is tracing the jagged scar down his eyebrows, his eyelid fluttering shut to allow her to ghost over the skin that’s slightly raised. He makes a noise, something a cross between another purr and a growl, dark orbs blinking open to meet hers.

Something screams at her to escape from his embrace, that there is something terribly _wrong_ with these shape-shifting people, that she most definitely should _not_ be thinking about _kissing_ a man she met just minutes ago. But there she sits, allowing him to press his nose to her cheek, listening to him inhaling deeply. When he moves his head again, his nose traces hers, his breath hot against the gentle slope of her chin.

He closes the small gap between them, his mouth moulding to hers perfectly. He shudders against her, panting heavily through his nostrils. For an ungodly reason that she doesn’t understand, Sakura does her best to return his kiss, but he’s frantic, desperate, almost _animalistic_ as his tongue pushes its way past her lips to taste the inside of her mouth. He licks everywhere that he can reach, a low growl hummed against her skin when her fingers dare to tangle in his hair, tugging. His fingers bite into the soft flesh of her thigh and his breath shakes, almost whimpered into the crook of her neck.

The spell is broken by a knock at the door.

There’s a gust of cold air that whips Sakura in the face as he all but rips his body from hers, flying to the other side of the room as he straightens his clothing, running his fingers through his hair and clearing his throat. He composes himself in a way that gives no indication towards what just happened, expression now stoic as he glances at her. She’s bewildered, unable to comprehend his change of mood, almost envious how he’s able to act as if he hadn’t just stolen her first kiss.

Sakura is unable to hide the confusion from her face, even when the door is pushed open to reveal the same white-haired man as before, along with his brunette companion. But the third figure is the one who gains her attention.

‘Dad?’

Kizashi rushes into the room, arms curling around her as he pulls her into a hug. ‘Oh god,’ he’s crying, eyes squeezed shut as he pats Sakura’s matted hair with a heavy hand. ‘They said you’d broken your leg--I thought--!’ He pulls back to look down at her leg, and Sakura follows his gaze. Only when she wiggles her leg, there’s no flinch of pain, not even a twinge nor an ache.

Dumbfounded, she twists her leg the other way, leaning forward to pull her leg towards her groin. She prods at the bandage with a lone finger, confusion doubling. She definitely _had_ broken her leg--she still remembers the nauseating reverberation of the bone snapping, and the searing pain that had shot up her entire leg.

‘I--’ She doesn’t even know what to say. She leans back on both hands, baffled when her sprained wrist doesn’t so much as throb under her weight. She tugs the bandage from her hand, truly expecting the skin to be swollen underneath. But to her surprise, her wrist appears perfectly fine, even when she proceeds to twist it to the left, to the right, and back again, just to make sure.

When she looks up, she meets the stare of the silver-haired man who remains brooding in the corner of the room. Only to look away when Kizashi pushes her hair back from her face. He’s frowning down at her, ‘why is your mouth bleeding?’

Sakura’s hand flies to her lips, wiping at the corners. Dark red comes away, staining her fingertips.

‘It’s not mine,’ she says faintly, hand dropping into her lap, limp. The dots start to connect, and when she realises exactly why he’d forced her to drink his blood, she’s both disgusted and relieved at the same time. She also feels a twinge of defeat. She’d sacrificed the use of her leg in order to escape, and here she is, sat in a room she doesn’t recognise, with people she doesn’t even know. Her efforts were in vain, but yet she still hopes that her mother has escaped. ‘Dad,’ she whispers, hoping her voice doesn’t break despite how desperately she wishes to cry. ‘Where’s Mum? She--’

‘Sakura,’ Kizashi’s expression is grim, blue eyes gleaming with exhaustion. He sits before her, his hands curling around hers. ‘I need you to listen to me carefully…’

And then he begins to talk slowly, as if talking to a child. Most of what he says goes through in one ear and out of the other. Sakura barely even hears him. Her mother, strong, beautiful Haruno Mebuki. Rendered weak, induced into a coma because she’d worked herself into a panic. ‘It’s for her own safety,’ Kizashi explains when he sees the fury burning behind his daughter’s eyes. The very same eyes she’d inherited from the woman he’s adored for the past thirty years. He continues to explain, and he’s rambling, talking about things Sakura doesn’t— _can’t_ \--quite possibly comprehend.

‘Did you just say…’ she interrupts him, whispering. Her gaze sweeps over every face in the room, before focusing on her father’s face once more. She swallows, disbelief plastered all over her face as she utters the word, ‘ _werewolf_?’

The other men immediately bristle at the word, the silver-haired one straightening his spine, arms crossed over his chest. He sneers as he spits, correcting her, ‘ _lycan_.’

Sakura shrinks from his glare, cheeks enflamed by her mistake. She doesn’t even know why she feels the urge to apologise, but is able to swallow it down as she looks at Kizashi again. Her hands shake under his and he sighs, head lowered as he mutters, ‘I know it’s a lot to take in, but--’

‘A lot?’ Sakura scoffs, bitter smile smacked across her face. ‘It’s _crazy_.’ She pulls her hands free from her father’s hold. ‘Do you even know what the hell you’re saying? Werewo—Lycans,’ she corrects quickly, unsure as to why, ‘they’re not… they don’t exist.’ Her hands shake as she pushes her knotted hair back from her face. ‘I-I don’t know why you’re saying…’ she trails off, unshed tears forming in the ducts of her eyes. ‘Mum… she told me to run… I tried.’ Her bottom lip trembles and the first tear escapes, four pairs of eyes watching it roll down the curve of her cheek. ‘I-I tried to… but then I fell and then he… he--’

Her head tilts to look at the dark haired man who remains standing by the closed door. He almost looks sorry for her and Sakura recalls him reaching for her in the forest, her body pressed against his naked skin as he carried her, just before she passed out. Without her even meaning to, her eyes dart down to his clothed groin, barely registering the way he squirms under her stare.

‘Oh my god,’ Sakura croaks.

She had watched him, with her own very eyes, _transform_ from beast to man in the blink of an eye. The reality settles into the pit of her stomach just before the organ lurches inside her. She barely manages to hunch over to the side before she promptly heaves, emptying her stomach out onto the carpet. The stench of blood, hot and metallic, fills the room, and she gags, eyes squeezing shut.

‘The fuckin’ carpet, man,’ someone groans, exasperated, and she guesses it's the white-haired man.

Someone touches her back, rubbing soothingly, pulling her hair back from her face.

‘I-Is that blood?’ She hears Kizashi ask, suddenly no longer at the side, his voice quiet from the other side of the room.

The hand on her back stills when they feel her stiffen. She realises just who is trying to comfort her and her stomach lurches again. Empty bile burns its way up the back of her throat before spitting out past her lips, a dry cough filling the tense silence. When she feels it safe enough to straighten up, she wipes her mouth with the back of her hand. A thin sheet of sweat now coats her entire body and she shivers, willing away the tears that threaten to spill.

‘This isn’t happening,’ she whispers to no-one in particular, eyes boring up at the ceiling. The presence beside her is domineering, yet somehow comforting. She hates how she instinctively leans into his touch, allowing him to hold her upright when a bout of dizziness almost unbalances her. She flinches from his touch, not noticing how he bristles at her rejection. ‘Dad…’ she winces at the sound of her voice cracking, her tongue now dry. She tries to ignore the lingering scent of her vomit, another ache forming between the crease of her brows. Kizashi is by her side once more, his hands wiping at the blood that is smeared across her cheek.

‘I’m so sorry,’ he sounds pained, guilt-ridden. ‘I should have told you sooner, but your mother… she didn’t take it well and by the time I followed her home…’ he chokes back a sob, ‘she’d already taken you.’

Tears well in Sakura’s eyes and she does her best to blink them away. She points to her leg, ‘how did…?’ The question is frozen on the tip of her tongue but Kizashi answers for her.

‘So… you know the stories of wolves… wolves and their mates, yes?’ His daughter doesn’t respond, staring at him blankly. Kizashi sighs heavily. ‘Wolves—Lycans are destined to a mate on the day they’re born. Someone they’re bonded to… for life.’

Sakura frowns, headache worsening, ‘what? Like soulmates?’

‘If you like, yes,’ her father nods. He pauses then, glancing to the silver-haired man who she is yet to look at. Sakura would be a fool to not see the apprehension in her father’s gaze, her own flickering to the very man whose blood she’d just consumed and then spat right back out. The thought almost makes her stomach lurch again. ‘You see,’ Kizashi starts, pausing again as if he isn’t sure how to word his best sentence. But he doesn’t need to.

Sakura stares up at the man before her, remembers the silver-furred animal whom had all but ran head-first into their car, tastes the heat of his blood on her tongue, inhales the overwhelming scent of freshly-cut grass mixing with the very _human_ smell of someone who is entirely, one-hundred percent all man.

‘ _Mine_ ,’ he croons, his large hand curling around the back of her neck to hold her in place. The word alone is enough to cause the heat that pools into the centre of her chest, similar to the sensation of pride. Taken-aback by her own reaction, she attempts to flinch from his touch, but quickly changes her mind, relishing the heat of the palm of his hand. His thumb strokes at the jugular vein on the right side of her neck, and she watches, wide-eyed, as the corner of his mouth lifts as he feels for the rapid pulsing. Then as if he remembers they’re not alone, he’s leaning back, her neck suddenly cold now that he’s no longer touching her. She blinks, dazed.

Kizashi clears his throat, awkward.

‘Him?’

The lone word causes a mixed reaction. The dark-haired man, along with his fairer acquaintance, both gawk at her with expressions of disbelief and amusement. The white-haired man pulls a funny face as if he’s trying not to laugh, the brunette peering down at her, a dark brow raised. Her father, however, looks mortified.

‘S-Sakura… Hatake-sama is very well respected,’ he sings praises as if he hadn’t just met the other male just a couple of days ago. ‘He _owns_ these forests, and this town, too. He--’

‘Do you know what happens when a lycan finds his mate?’

The room is silent as he speaks and Sakura dares not to raise her head to meet his gaze. She feels his fingers tapping under her chin, tilting her head up to his own. Her eyes zero in on the scar, her fingers itching to touch it again. She settles for curling them into the tattered fabric of what was once her favourite dress. His breath fans across her cheek and she realises just how close he’s leaning, uncaring of their small audience. His hand seems to scorch her skin, pulse thumping against her neck so rapidly that it’s almost uncomfortable.

‘My blood heals you,’ he murmurs, voice suddenly much deeper than usual. ‘And yours…’ he trails off, her spike of fear suddenly hitting him right in the face. The tips of his fingers brushing against her brow calms the throbbing in her neck, but the taste of her fear still doesn’t sit right, loitering in the air. His beast itches to ease her discomfort, but Kakashi doubts it’s a good idea to introduce beast to the girl just yet.

He suppresses the animal, willing it away as he lets his hand drop from the side of her face.

‘Yours strengthens my very being.’

She repeats the word, gaze unfocused as she seems to stare right through him.

‘Alpha blood,’ Suigetsu chimes in, grinning. ‘’S like liquid platinum.’

She blanches at the word, and even Obito roughly elbows the idiot in the ribs. Suigetsu grunts, rubbing the sore spot with a scowl, ‘what was that for?’ Obito glares back at him, and even the human male shares the same expression.

Something, however, changes. He scents it before her expression shifts, green eyes a shade or two darker. Both Obito and Suigetsu stiffen by the door, sharing a look as they await the order they are sure is to come. Her father, the human male, moves, but Kakashi isn’t paying attention.

He watches her pupils expand until they blow, unfocused as she peers back up at him. A small, pale hand stretches to him and he allows his eyelids to flutter as his beast greedily welcomes her touch. It’s not enough, he needs more, he thinks, his eyes daring to dart down to her lips. Her palm flattens against the side of his face, her index finger tracing the scar that stretches down to his cheekbone. She appears entranced by it, and her attentions warm his skin.

And then she does what none of them expects.

She braces her weight on her left hand as she leans closer, her right hand disappearing into the hair at the base of his neck, her fingers twisting into the locks. She licks her lips, and his stare is transfixed to the curve of her neck, his gums itching as he feels his canines elongate. He feels the heat forming a sweat under the collar of his shirt and his stomach twists, with nerves or anticipation, he’s unsure. He struggles to not announce his desire to the entire room, although he’s sure they can sense it anyway. Swallowing hard, his throat bobbing as he does so, he exhales through his nostrils, struggling to hide the shiver that trickles down his spine. And then she whispers one word, calling out to the beast that quivers under the surface of his skin.

‘ _Alpha_.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- thank you so much for reading, i hope you enjoyed!!  
> \- please show support by leaving a kudos or even a comment; i'd love to hear what you think.  
> 


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